2.3 Marine resources and the coastal zone

Foreign fish trailers will have to be prohibited from fishing within the 200 km territorial waters of South Africa, and no fish quotas should be allocated to them.

Beach-net owners should be forbidden to fish for at least two years. If they are indeed allowed to continue fishing along the coast, their nets should drastically be shortened to 100 m, without a bag in die net. Coastal nets exterminate large numbers of undersized fish.

Rock and beach anglers, of whom I am one, will also have to make sacrifices if we wish our descendants to enjoy the privilege of fishing.

The daily fishing quota of anglers and fish trailers should be reduced drastically. An angler should not catch more than five fishes per day.

More coastal reserves should be established, allowing fish to breed freely. Scientific studies should determined which parts of the coast would be most suitable to serve as reserves.

To my mind the whole of False Bay should be out of bounds for trailers, as was the case in the past.

According to the report of Dr. Griffiths (in table seven) eighteen fish species have already become totally extinct as a result of over-exploitation. It really seems to be a bleak day for the fishing industry.

Everybody will have to make sacrifices if we do not see ourselves going to museums one day to show our grandchildren what a galjoen looked like. To my mind the larger angling population will simply have to stand together if we want to protect our fish.

The Government will have to allocate fishing quotas to those who really need it, and not to their friends as well. It would also be a good idea to publish the names of those who hold quotas.

Ebert van RooyenVishoek

Die Burger, 22 April 2000

Activity 1:

To find information in a document, determine its importance, and discuss the choices

[lo 1.2]

The public’s concern about the annihilation of the country’s fishing resources, is very obvious from the letter on p. 21.

1. Write down five of the writer’s suggestions that you regard as the most important.

2. Conduct a class discussion to motivate your choices.

The Coastal Zone

The shallow waters on the seaward side of this narrow strip include the most productive and diverse habitats in the entire marine environment: estuaries, mangroves, salt marshes, mudflats, seagrass and seaweed beds, and coral reefs. These habitats have a vital ecological function, particularly as nursery areas for commercially valuable fish species. Generally, they provide food and shelter for a huge number of species, perlemoen (abalone), oysters and mussels. In all, they account for more than two thirds of the world fisheries production. These areas also help to reduce the effects of flooding, and are often highly popular for recreation.

The landward side of the coastal zone is where most of the world’s population live. Six out of 10 people live within 60 km of coastal waters, and some two-thirds of all cities with populations of 2,5 million or more near tidal estuaries. Within the next two to three decades, the population of this coastal zone is subject to severe pollution, both by direct discharge and via river systems. More than three-quarters of marine pollution comes form land-based sources, with shipping, dumping, and offshore mining and oil production responsible for the rest. Problems include the uncontrolled discharge of industrial effluents, raw and treated sewage, pesticide and fertiliser residues, and silt loads from erosion, particularly into bays where the potential for dispersion and dilution is lowest. The artificial introduction of nutrients (such as nitrogen and potassium) by humans into coastal waters now equals – and will soon outstrip – that from natural sources, creating huge ecological problems.

Strict new regulations may leave fishermen jobless

Chris Liebenberg

YZERFONTEIN – Seasoned West coast fishermen are of the opinion that the envisaged new fishing quota regulations will have far reaching effects for fishing communities here and elsewhere along the coast who rely on the sea for their daily living.

There are fears that the towns may in the long run become economically dysfunctional when the regulations are enforced.

The new regulations stipulate inter alias that those persons who receive traditional line fish quotas, may enjoy no other fishing rights. This applies to traditional line fishing, hand line catches and tuna.

The number of licences that will be allocated, will limit the size of the crew per boat.

For local boat owners and fisherman who depend on line-fishing for their living, especially snoek, these provisions are a cause of serious concern.

It stipulates that licences will be issued to only 450 boats for the area between Cape Point and Lambert’s Bay and that the crew on some of the boats will be limited to four.

Boat owners say the limiting of boats and crew is bound to leave about 70% of the line-fishers jobless.

According to Mr. Dan Nortjé, a local resident and boat owner, he has been fishing in this area with a crew of ten for the past 37 years.

Certain members of his crew have been fishing here for over 17 years. They have families and have no other skills apart from hand line fishing.

Nortjé says should he get a licence, six members of his crew will have to be retrenched. Should he not succeed in obtaining a licence, he will have to retrench all ten of them, leaving him unemployed himself, with a boat that generates no income at all.

Die Burger, 22 April 2000

Activity 2:

To summarise the contents of a newspaper report

[lo 1.2]

Read the report and write a paragraph that would sum up the contents in about 100 words.

Assessment

Memorandum

ACTIVITY 1

• Licence-holders must be reduced.
• More stringent measures must be applied.
• Government must appoint more law-enforcement personnel.

Territorial waters must be protected.

More coastal reserves must be established.

ACTIVITY 2

Write you own summary report.